Electrical connecter



Jan. l0, 1939. H. E. PILTz ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Filed May 26, 1936 INVENTOR. 'Zzz/ ...IlnmI all 7.28127 EPZ A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,143,131 ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Henry E. Piltz, Greenwood,Township, Oceana County, Mich.

Application rMay 26, 1936, serial No. 81,948

2 Claims. `(Cl. 173-361) My invention relates broadly to electrical connecters and more particularly to an improved construction of separable plug connecter.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide 5 a two part plug connecter in which the coacting parts may be very readily assembled or disassembled in establishing the electrical connection.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of two part plug connecter in which lll a single projecting member may be readily centered and inserted. in the coacting part of the plug connecter for establishing a quick detachable connection.

Still another object of my invention is to prol5 vide a construction of two part electrical connecter in which twisting or tangling of the conductors extending to the coacting parts of the two part plug is avoided.

A further object of my invention is to provide 20 a construction of two part connecter in which the coacting parts may be interconnected by movement of the parts in cooperative relation from any convenient position about the coacting parts Without limitation.

#i5 A still further object of myinvention is to provide a two part connecter which may be readily assembled without any particular skill or knowledge of the device and with nothing more than a knife or screw driver as a tool.

30 Still another object of my invention is to pro vide a construction of plug adapted to be engaged in the ordinary screw receptacle and wherein the plug does not require the formation of screw threads on the sides thereof.

35 A further object of myinvention is to provide a construction of separable plug adapted to engage the screw threads of an ordinary socket and in which the plug is formed from a cylindrical wall structure through which a` selected number of 40 rivet members and a resilient connecting device extend in predetermined spaced relation for providing guide means for facilitating the insertion or removal of the plug 1n the screw-ThreadedY receptacle.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a construction of screw-threaded separable plug adaptor having a.A central recess therein for receiving a single projecting member carrying 50 electrical contactors therein operative to establish electrical connection with contacts in the removable plug.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the construction of separable plug ccnnecter as set forth more fully in the speciiication hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevationalview showing the parts of the electrical connecter of my invention in aligned position ready to be interfitted to 6 establish an electrical connection; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the electrical connecter of my invention; Fig. 3 is a lateral cross-sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the screw-threaded 10 plug employed in the electrical connecter of my invention; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a modied form of electrical connecter embodying my invention; Fig. 6 is an elevational view with parts broken away and illustrated in cross-section taken at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 'I is a lateral crosssectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

My invention is directed to a construction of two part separable connecter which is inexpensive in manufacture and simple in its construction.

V The connecter of my invention is a radical departure from connecters heretofore known in that I provide a construction wherein it is unnecessary to prod and feel for the proper apertures in a plug receptacle for inserting the projecting prongs of the usual typeI separable connecter. The inconvenience encountered in attempting to insert a two prong plug into a wall type receptacle where the conditions are such that the receptacle cannot be readily seen is a frequent occurrence. It is often necessary to make several attempts to push the two prong plug into engagement with the apertures in the wall type receptacle in various angular positions without success. Moreover, it is a common occurrence for the prongs to bend out of alignment and make it impossible to establish an interengagement with the wall receptacle. The fact that such separable plugs tendto draw apart is also a very great disadvantage. In the separable plug of my invention, I provide a single projecting member of circular crosssection which carries contactors serving both` sides of the high potential line and adapted to be inserted in `a central recess in a separable plug member. Suitable insulation is provided for the contactors carried by the projecting member and c-cnnecticn is established between the said contactors and contacts within the separable plug. The contacts within the separable plug are so arranged that a locking interengagement is established with the contacts carried by the projecting member so that the projecting member cannot be accfdentally withdrawn from the recess in the separable plug but can only be withdrawn l ber of parts.

; tive housing 3 metallic members laterally in the wall of the,

separable plug coacting with a resilient electrivcally conducting member to engage the screw threads of a receptacle into which the separable plug is inserted for forming both a rigid mechan- -Ical connection and a good electrical connection therewith. The separable plug connector of my invention is constructed from a minimum num- The portions of the separable plug which are formed from insulation material may be readily molded from phenol condensation products and other moldable insulation materials. I'he molded parts of the separable plug require no machine work. The electrical connecting parts are either die stamped or are formed by screw machine operations. For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown the projectible plug portion of my inventlon-coacting with a screw plug which may be adapted to any form of screw-threaded receptacle. However, I desire that it be clearly understood that the projectible portion of the connecter of my invention may be used in cooperation with a baseboard receptacle, a junction box, an outlet box, or various forms of terminal boxes having a built-in contacting device equivalent to theconnecting device shown herein and which coacts with the projecting plug. Moreover, my improved construction of projecting plug which I have illustrated is adaptable as a connection for electric irons and other forms of electrical appliances.

Referring to the drawing in detail, reference 'character I designates a screw plug which coacts with the insertable projecting plug 2. A protecis provided for the insertable projecting plug 2 and through which the conducting wires 4 pass. 'Ihe screw plug I is provided with an annular flange 5' facilitating the insertion of the screw plug into a screw-threaded receptacle of any kind. 'Ihe screw Vplug I contains a central bore 6 provided with a chamfered entrance 1 which facilitates the location and centering of the insertable projecting plug in the screw plug. The screw .plug I is molded in suitable form and in order to simplify the molding process, the plug is molded with a smooth cylindrical wall having a molded base 8. A center contact 9 having a pin I2extending therefrom is molded directly in the end-of the screw plug I. 'I'he center pin I2 extends axially through bore .6 for substantially one-half a depth .thereof and is firmly anchored in the molded plug I by reason of the knurling Il which serves as a grip between the molded material of plug I and the pin I2. The upper extremity of pin I2 is chamfered as represented at I2a to facilitate insertion of the telescopic contacting member 24 forming part of the insertable projecting plug 2.

Ihe screw plug I has a sleeve member I5' extending laterally through one wall thereof.

Sleeve member I5 serves to house the contacting ball I6 anda spring I1 tending to continuously urge contacting ball I6 radially inwardly. The inner'end of sleeve I5 which opens into bore 6 is restricted to allow contacting ball I6 to partially project into the bore 6 as illustrated in Fig. 4. Contacting ball I6` is engaged by the outer sleeve 23 of the insertable projecting plug 2. The contacting ball I6 is yieldably supported by spring I1 andprovides a conductive electrical connection to the outstruck end I8 of sleeve I5 forming a thread engaging means for the threaded wall I9 of the screw-threaded receptacle 20. 'I'he receptable 20 is of standardconstruction and merely a fragmentary portion thereof has been illustrated for purposes of explaining my invention.

The plug I is molded with a pair of headed radially dispcsedrivets directly molded into the wall of the plug and arranged in spaced relation equal to the distance between in the threaded wall I9 of receptacle 20. 'I'he headed rivets 2| and 22 extend partially into the wall of plug I and are spaced on either side of an axis passing through the outstruck end I8 of sleeve I5 to assimilate screw threads. to say, the headed ends of rivets 2I and 22 are so arranged with respect to the outstruck end I8 of sleeve I5 that they mutually coact in a spiral path circumferentially of plug I to engage the internal screw threads I9 in receptacle 20. It 20 will be clear that this construction is very simple and inexpensive and avoids Athe necessity of providing the usual screw-threaded shell surrounding the plug for coaction with internal screw threads on receptacle 20.

binding lscrew 29 under which the othersconduc- 24 respectively. The arrangement of the lug extensions is illustrated in Fig. 5 where-` it will be seen that lug 38 is bent normal to the axis of sleeve 23 and forms an engaging means 70 adjacent threads l0 That iS 15 a mounting means for 35" sleeve 2t is odset to allow the insertion of an insulated gasket 42-beneath lug extension 40 for preventing short-circuiting between inner sleeve 2d and outer sleeve 23. Lug 40 serves as an eneasing means in coaction with eccentric groove 35 as lug 40 passes through slot 31. The binding screw 4I carried by lug extension 40 serves as an attachment means for the other conductor oi the conducting wires 4. The concentrically arranged sleeves provide a rigid assembly with respect to which the diametrically extending lugs serve as supporting means when, engaged beneath the protective housing 3. The headed members 2i and 22 may merely pass through a portion of the wall of the plug l and may be molded therein. The importantV consideration is that headed members 2l and 22 be so spaced with respect to each other and with respect to the projection I8 of sleeve I5 that the pitch of the imaginary thread thus provided by a spiral line extending around the circumference of plug I and passing successively through headed member 2l, projection I8, and headed member 22, corresponds to the pitch of the coasting screw-threaded receptacle into which the plug must be inserted or removed. I may arrange the supporting and connecting lugs in a variety of ways wth respect to the telescopically disposed sleeves and the constructions I have illustrated herein are intended merely as illustrative of the principles of my invention.

While I have described my invention incertain preferred embodiments, I realize that modifications may be made and that no limitations upon my invention are intended other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

l.. An electrical plug connecter comprising a rigid contact assembly including a pair of concentrically arranged conductive sleeves insulated from each other, lugs extending from adjacent ends of said sleeves, means for establishing electrical connection with each of said lugs adjacent the extremities thereof, and a detachable protective housing for substantially enclosing said lugs; said lugs being bent normal to the axis of said sleeves in opposite directions and double bent upon themselves to provide oppositely extending arms engageable with said housing and having the extremities thereof extending interiorly of said housing.

2. An electrical plug connecter as set forth in claim l and wherein said housing is provided with an inner circumferential groove having semi-circular oppositely disposed sections arranged oficenter and engageable by said oppomtely extending arms. said arms being clamped between diametrically opposite points in the respective sections of said groove and said groove having exit slots at the portions of greatest diametrical spacing, said arms being displaceable in the respective sections of said groove toward said slots for detaching said housing and providing access to said means for establishing electrical connection to said lugs.

HENRY E. PILTZ. 

